Her masterpiece
by laicka
Summary: What would happen if Delilah had succeeded in her ritual, would someone had notice? or would she had been able to rule the Empire as she wised.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer I don't own Dishonored, **

**also want to thank my beta reader Mega Kilo 69 for betaing this story, hope you people like it!**

**also it doesn't contain any spoilers from the DLC, so don't worry, so enjoy :3**

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They returned from the party of Lady Boyle in complete silence, neither wanting to talk to the other. Corvo didn't mind that much, he was tired and to be honest with himself, he wasn't really in the mood to hear Samuel preaching about how bad it was already the situation of the city and having him, Corvo, adding more corpses to the piles that the plague had already take. But of course Samuel didn't understand that sometimes it was them or him and so, Corvo had to take the lives of the City Watch men. Not that he really regret it, but sometimes it was easier that way. But that night he hadn't just takes the lives of a couple of City Watch men and some Tallboys, he had taken the life of Lydia Boyle, the mistress of Hiram Burrows. He initially hadn't want to, but upon meeting Lord Brisby, he had conclude that it would be more merciful to end the life of the woman rather than to give her away to a man he didn't knew. So when Samuel had pick him up and see the blood in Corvo's sleeves he had simply shook his head and didn't speak to the Serkonan for all the trip back to the Hounds Pit.

Corvo stretched himself and started walking toward the inn, already whishing he would be in his bed on top of the building. Once he had reached it he started undressing himself. He took off his weapons and placed them in the table alongside with the mask, he took off his belt, the long coat, the vest and the white shirt. He sat down on the bed and threw the boots away. He gave a sigh and looked at the Heart, he passed his hand around it with tenderness and place it in the small table that was near his bed. Since he had received it, he had treated it with great care, of course he knew of who it was. Yet the Outsider had never said anything of it, it had just been a 'gift', a cruel and mocking gift from Corvo's point of view. He had wonder more than once why he had never let her rest. He gave a sigh and lay down on his bed, he passed his hand over his face and then turned to face the Heart.

"Good night Jessamine," he said softly as he turned out the lights.

Corvo awoke suddenly, not by the woman that was running into his room, but by the screams of despair that were coming from Emily's room. He looked around just to find Callista at the door of his room.

"Corvo!" she called out in panic. "You are awake, oh, good. Emily. There is something wrong with her, she just started screaming some minutes ago, I tried to calm her down but she just keep screaming and…" before Callista finished talking to Corvo, he had already pass her and was on his way to Emily's room.

He did hear the screams of his little girl, but just as he had opened the door they had ceased. He entered the room and rushed toward Emily, who was lying in her bed, sleeping soundly as if nothing had happen. Corvo heard Callista entering the room and whispering something. He knelt next to Emily and shook her softly, enough to awake her up.

"Emily, Emily wake up," he said in a low whisper, he noticed that her cheeks were wet and wondered if she had dreamed again of when Jessamine had died.

The girl awoke with a start and looked straight at the man that was knelt beside her bed, staring as though she didn't recognize him. Then she said "Why did you awake me up?"

"You were screaming Emily, Callista tried to calm you down but when she couldn't she decided to come for me," said Corvo trying to see if he could read the face of his daughter.

Emily had already sat at the edge of the bed and was looking at both adults from one to the other.

"I'm fine, thank you for worrying about me," she said with complete calm and cold tone.

"Do you want me to stay here tonight Emily?" asked Corvo as he touched her cheek, smiling softly.

There had been other nights similar to this one where she screamed and he came to see her. When she pretended to be completely indifferent to what had happen, like in that moment; he simply did something simple like hug her or any other show of affection and she usually broke into tears and he usually ended up comforting her. But this time the girl even looked at him with disgust. Corvo looked at her with surprised, but she quickly composed and pushed away his hand.

"I'm fine, thank you, Lord Protector, Miss Callista…" she said in a serious and cold way. "If you excuse me I would rather like to have some sleep," and with that said she lay down and gave her back to both adults.

Corvo looked at Callista and move his head, indicating that he wanted to talk to her outside. They entered the building of the Hound Pits and he faced her. He could easily see the concern in her eyes.

"I really don't know what happen there Corvo… I'm sorry that I disturb you," she said as she moved her hand against her arm.

"There is no problem, I had already heard her and was going to see her, had… had she…?" but he decided not to ask the question after all it was a silly question.

"Acted like that before?" she finished his sentence. He simply nodded. "No, is the first time, it also surprised me, but taking in count all that she had been through, I think is only natural. I better go to get some sleep too, good night Corvo," and with that said she left him.

He didn't know why but he knew there was something wrong with Emily, she would never called him Lord Protector. Not even in front of other nobles or anyone, he had always been Corvo. He wondered and hoped that Callista was right and that Emily had only had a bad dream and didn't want to talk about it.

He had hoped that the next day she would want to talked to him but she behaved in the same cold and distant manner that the night before. It seemed to him that no one else had notice the change in Emily's behavior, or at least think it was odd. But quite the contrary Pendleton and Martin seem to think that she was finally acting as what she was suppose to be, a future Empress.

"You seem concern Corvo," said Havelock as he stood next to where he was sit.

Corvo eyed the Admiral and then returned to looked at Emily, who was just about to finish her lesson with Callista, without a single interruption. "It's nothing Admiral," he said with his indifferent face fixed. "I was just thinking in Emily, that's all."

"Poor girl, she had been through so much and now looked at her she seem to finally getting out of it. She will make a fine ruler, just like her mother," he said as he drank from his beer. Emily eyed both of them as she rose from her seat and walked away.

"Is that… She seems different…" Corvo said without thinking too much.

Havelock laugh, "Oh, Corvo, I think that if your old self would see you right now he would think you are a total stranger. Maybe is that she had finally come to terms with what had happen and finally had overcome it. Also I think you are too tired Corvo and maybe are giving too much thought to a simple thing."

Corvo decided that maybe he was just overreacting and that Havelock was right and he was too tired and seeing things where they weren't. So he simply nodded and headed to his bedroom a bit of rest would surely help him.

The day that follow wasn't different form the last one. He had to admit that Emily was behaving extreme well and didn't have her childish behavior of running away from Callista. Corvo still thought that Emily's behavior was odd and strange but most of the people in the Hounds Pit seemed not to care or rather than that thought that she was finally behaving. But of course they didn't know Emily from before so they really didn't know that she was acting differently. He wondered what Jessamine would said if she would see their daughter behaving so well. But he knew that rather than behaving well she was behaving in a cold way and even a bit despotic.

Corvo wanted to talk to Emily in private, he wanted to know what was wrong with her. Maybe she was afraid that she would soon become Empress or maybe it was that if she did become Empress she would really knew that she would never see her mother again and that she was terrify and that she secretly hope that Jessamine was alive. Maybe it was that, yet he didn't know and he wanted to talk to her. He waited until she had finally ended her lesson with Callista and then waited for some time before going to search for her. Corvo wonder a bit off the Hounds Pit just to hear her laughing at the watch point of the tower, but it wasn't a childish laugh. No, it was cruel laugh, he walked silently toward her, and she seemed to be enjoying herself, she began whistling a tone that he had never heard her sing before.

"Emily?" he called her from behind just a few steps away from her.

The girl turned and looked at him with anger and then she composed herself. "Master Attano, do you need me for something?"

Corvo shook his face and walked toward her. "I just wanted to see were you where and how you are doing, I'm worry about you Emily…"

The girl opened her eyes and then faced the river. "I'm fine Lord Protector. I was just looking at the Dunwall Tower. Soon enough I will be sitting in the throne room."

Corvo looked at her and then leaned at edge of the stone rail. "Yes, you would soon be Empress, Emily. But there is no need to hurry that," he said with sadness in his voice, and then he turned to look at her. "Do you want to play hide and seek? Just like we used to play back there at the Tower?" he asked smiling.

Emily looked at him coldly and shook her face. "I rather not, Lord Attano, yet I do wonder if you know when you would be taking out the usurper of Hiram Burrows? As I wish to be crown Empress as soon as possible…" she said in cold and cruel way.

Corvo looked at her with a mixture of surprised and confusion, he couldn't believe what she had just asked him. "I… I don't know Emily…"

"Hope it will be soon enough. Also I would like to see the man put to the blade if it is possible as I'm sure it would be better than any other way…" she said then she added looking straight at Corvo's brown eyes. "Tell me Lord Protector, would you give your life protecting me? You wouldn't let any harm fall upon me, would you?"

Corvo smiled in a sad way toward Emily, so it was that, she was afraid that the same fate that her mother had would happen to her. Corvo knelt and took Emily's hand into his hands and said. "I would never, ever let something happen to you Emily. You are the only thing that I have left in this world, and I would rather see myself death than know that I have failed you protecting you. I promised your mother that I would find you and protected you, and I will," he said and hugged her, but she didn't return the hug.

"Well then I hope you are faithful to your word Royal Protector and don't let me face the same fate than the late Empress, since it seems it was your fault that she died. But now if you excuse me, Lord Protector I had to go and do some other things, it was nice talking to you… and I would rather prefer that you refer to me as Lady Emily at least," she said and walked away.

Corvo stayed there motionless unable to believe what had just happen, he wanted to grabbed her and asked what was wrong with her, but he couldn't even found his voice. So he stood there for a couple of minutes. He couldn't even think straight, he guessed that he could speak to someone about it and ask if they had notice something different in Emily, hopping that anyone would had already notice something. Yet he didn't know who to talk about. The loyalists were out of his list immediately, he hardly think that they would really care about it. Probably Pendleton would said that she was finally acting as a noblewoman of her status, Martin would said that the Outsider was playing tricks on him and Havelock that he was just overreacting. Cecelia and Wallace, well he hardly knew them so there was no way he would talk to any of them. Lydia, she was nice but she gossip far too much. Piero, well Piero sometimes didn't even knew how to behave around other adults and probably would simply listen to Corvo but wouldn't really say something to him. Sokolov, well he was a crazy bastard, and even he had met Emily before all this, Corvo bet that he didn't even remembered how she was. So it was only Callista and Samuel, he guessed that he could first go and speak to the old sailor and see if he would give any advice to him or at least notice something strange in Emily.

Corvo approached Samuel, who was working on this boat as always. The old sailor looked at the Lord Protector as he approached him and stop doing what he was doing and simply stared at him.

"Samuel, can we talk?" asked Corvo.

"About what Corvo?" said the other man. "I'm a bit busy right now, but don't tell me the Admiral had send you to tell me that we are about to leave, had he?"

"No," said Corvo and then looked around. "Is about Emily…" he said with concernment.

"What about that sweet little girl?"

"Haven't you notice her a bit different lately?"

Samuel passed his hand through his face and then reply, "What do you mean by different?"

"Well, she had been acting too odd, and… she… she doesn't want me to be with her anymore or play or do anything that she used to do. And well she calls me, by other names rather than Corvo, as she had always called me… I don't know what is happening to her."

Corvo looked at the other man, who was looking at him in a cold way. "Well Corvo maybe is that she knows what you had been doing and doesn't want to be near you anymore. I don't want to sound rude, but taking the lives of others is a nasty business and maybe this is the toll you have to pay for what you had done."

Corvo looked at the man in a cold and piercing way. "I see, thank you Samuel, I think I will leave, you seem busy…" he said and give half turned and started walking away. He suddenly stop and was about to say something to Samuel but decided to leave the boatman with his ship rather than to tell him that he was also responsible of those deaths as it was him the one that take him to his destinations.

Corvo make his way toward the Hounds Pits, he entered and saw Emily talking to Admiral Havelock, he passed them by and made his way toward Emily's room where he found Callista recording an audio graph for her uncle. When she finished she looked at Corvo.

"Corvo what can I do for you?" she asked as she took the card and put it aside.

Corvo had already sat down on Emily's bed and grabbed the Serkonan doll that he had gave her the same day she had arrive to the Hound Pits. He passed his hand through the doll before looking straight at Callista.

"Do you think there is something strange with Emily? Like if she isn't herself?"

Callista sat in front of him, and could clearly see the distress on his face, she grabbed his hand. "I really don't know her that much Corvo, so I couldn't really tell you that she is acting strange, or more strange than normal. Yet I do find this well behaving as a sight that maybe, she is growing up. I know it might be difficult for you, but she will eventually grow into a woman and will need you less."

"It isn't about the fact that she would need me or not… By the Outsider I don't know what is wrong with her," he said as he pressed one of his hands against his face. "There is something wrong with her, I just know it… she had been acting as she was someone else. I know that eventually she would have stop being my little girl, but she asked me to kill Hiram Burrows. To put him to the blade, I can't understand it Callista…" he said with frustration.

"Corvo looked at me," she said as he met her eyes. "She wasn't your little girl, she was the daughter of the Empress, I know for what I had seen that you care about her deeply, but she isn't your daughter. And the fact that she wants to see Hiram Burrows death, well if I was her I would also like to see the man that sends my mother to be killed death. I know it isn't comforting but is the truth. Maybe if you came to terms with it, you will see that she hadn't change that much," she said smiling at him.

Corvo looked at her with frustration and got up, he left the doll in the bed and left the room. He was angry at Callista, how could she say that Emily wasn't his daughter, but then he stop at the door of his room. No one really knew that Emily was indeed his daughter, that he had fathered her, there had always been speculations. No, no one knew, he remembered when Jessamine had proposed him to become her Emperor consort to what he had always said that he would rather stay being the Royal Protector and her lover than seeing someone else with less ability taking care of her and later on their daughter. But what use had it been, he had failed her and let her die. Corvo pressed his hand against his face, stopping the tears of frustration of coming out. Maybe everyone was right and he was just too tired and somehow wanted to hold onto the days of pass and didn't want to accept what was coming. He took several deep breaths and took the book that he had been reading in the last days and went to the ceiling of the distillery to keep reading.

He sat at the edge of the building and looked down, just to see Emily wondering around and whistling that strange song. Corvo wondered what Jessamine would have said if she saw her, he didn't knew why but he took the Heart out. Maybe it was to get a bit of comfort, but then he saw Emily again and felt that the Heart was beating incredible fast, just as if it was in front of a rune. Corvo then looked at Emily and he heard clearly in his head, her voice whispering.

"There she stands, young lady Emily… Emily? Where is she I cannot see her, yet there she is… Who is that that walks in Emily's image? Where is my little girl? She is lost… lost in the Void, I need to find her. She is scared Corvo, she is lost here in the Void… That girl isn't Emily Corvo, she is something wicked. You promised me you will keep her safe, you said that you would find her, yet she is lost… You promised me Corvo… Emily, where are you Emily?!" and then the Heart didn't beat any longer or whispered anything else in Corvo's ears. Corvo could only felt how his blood ran cold and the air escape him. Then he knew that he wasn't wrong, there was something or rather someone in Emily.

That same night he had to go to Dunwall Tower, when he turned to look at the Hounds Pits for one last time he saw her, standing there proud and arrogant with the three Loyalist behind her looking straight at him. Corvo turned and faced the other way, he was glad that he had his mask on. As they approach the Tower, he couldn't but think in what the Heart had told him about Emily that same day. Was she really lost? Could there be a way for him to bring her back he wondered? He really didn't heard Samuel in anything that he said, Corvo could only think that he needed to finish his business with Burrows as quickly as he could and get the hell out of there, but maybe there would be something in there that could help him.

Just after he had dealt with Hiram Burrows Corvo made his way toward Emily's room, at least he was glad that after the commotion there were practically no guards left. He entered it and quickly looked around. He walked toward her bed and grabbed the doll that was in the middle. He knew pretty well that doll it was Mrs. Pilsen, he had never liked that doll to tell the truth. He had always found it creepy with its empty eyes and porcelain features. Yet it had always been the favorite of Emily so he put it inside of his coat and made a run toward Samuel's boat. Once he had reached the boat the old sailor started the engine and they retreated. Corvo notice that they weren't going back to the Hounds Pits.

"Where are we going Samuel?" he asked.

"The Admiral asked me to get some things as soon as you had dealt with Hiram Burrows, we are going to a safe house to get them then we will return to the Hounds Pits."

Corvo nodded but he had preferred that they would have gone directly to the Hounds Pits. They reached the house and he remained in the boat until Samuel turned and looked at him.

"What are you waiting Corvo, we are passing here the night, come on."

Corvo rose from the boat and followed Samuel into the house. They entered and he sat down in one of the beds that where there. He removed his mask and took out the doll. Samuel lay in the bed next to him and then said.

"I'm proud of you Corvo, not taking the life of that man that was the right thing to do…" Corvo eyed him but remain silence. "I know is not an easy decision but sometimes the right things are more difficult to accomplish."

"It's not that I didn't want to kill him Samuel. He paid the killer to murder Jessamine, but… then I remember what Emily told me…" he said as he passed his hand through the dolls face.

"What does that sweet girl told you? Did she ask you to spare him?"

Corvo shook his head and then looked straight at Samuel's eyes as he said in a cold tone, "She asked me to put him to the blade." The other man looked at him in surprise. "It's as if she isn't herself anymore… like she was someone else, do you think it could be possible?"

"I don't know Corvo, yet we leave in strange times and I had seen strange things myself… Still I think she could have asked you that out of revenge toward the man…"

"I know that you and well most of them think I had been killing in cold blood but the truth is that when I can't find another solution I engage the guards and finished them off, if not I leave them unconscious. Buy maybe you were right, and I'm paying a toll for all I had done. Just had wished that it wouldn't have been her, I lost Jessamine and now I lost Emily… I must be most cursed person in this dam city," Corvo pressed his hand against his face.

"You should sleep Corvo, you had been through a lot lately, maybe with that doll she will remembered how things were and she will start acting as she used to… I will take the first watch, you should sleep while you can, who knows what we will be facing in the upcoming days…"

Corvo nodded and grabbed tightly the doll, he had wished to tell Samuel all that had happen, how Emily had been acting strangely and what the Heart had told him, but no one knew about the Heart. It was already annoying sometimes when Martin asked him about the mark and even jokes that he go to the Outsider's shrine, thing that he hadn't deny at all, and then there was always the gossips he heard regarding himself in the hallways, either being Lydia and Cecelia or any of the Loyalist taking to each other. So telling Samuel about the mechanical heart that had the soul of the late Empress trapped inside wouldn't even help, probably all the people in the Hounds Pits were already thinking that he had gone mad or was going mad, by insisting that Emily was acting as is she wasn't herself anymore. He wondered if what the Heart had told him would be true, yet so far the Heart hadn't lie to him, but of course she had never lied to him when she had lived. He wondered who was the one that was walking in Emily's image.


	2. Chapter 2

Corvo awoke when Samuel shook him and told him that it was time for them to leave. He rubbed his eyes and walked toward the boat. He notice that it was already pass noon, he asked Samuel how long had he slept to what the boatman told him that he had slept quite a lot. They arrived at the Hounds Pits around five in the afternoon. Corvo gave a sigh and started walking toward the pub he entered the main area, followed by Samuel. Just to find all the Loyalist alongside everybody else there. Corvo smiled when he looked at Emily, as he approached her Pendleton stop him.

"Corvo, wait," he seemed nervous as he spoke. "We should all toast before anything else, let me get you a glass Corvo?"

Corvo looked in a strange way at Pendleton but then looked at the Admiral who quickly added, "Yes we should make a toast."

The Serkonan looked that the nobleman and the Admiral, who raised their own drinks as Havelock said, "That's it! The Lord Regent's done. Farewell to Hiram Burrows, you scheming piece of shit. Now we can bend the law to pardon our past crimes, Corvo. We'll find Daud, the assassin that the Lord Regent sent to butcher the Empress. Then you can have your revenge. We'll have to move fast to clean up his mess."

Pendleton gave Corvo a glass that contained a sort of cider; he looked at it and then looked at the two men that were in front of him, then Havelock proceeded with this speech.

"The armed forces will do their job. Martin has control of the Overseers. And you Treavor, do whatever it is that you do with Parliament."

Pendleton then looked at Havelock with spite and said, "That's Lord Pendleton to you. Without me, you'll never command the nobility. They'll tear you apart like a fish."

Havelock looked at Corvo, who was looking at both men with confusion; he had never seen them this aggressive and less against one another. "Sorry Corvo, we're nervous. Your work is done, and ours begins. The coronation will be an impromptu affair, but it still requires much preparation. Most of it we can handle, but there is the matter of security. Emily will be vulnerable to whoever killed her mother. I doubt history will repeat itself but you must be sharp and wary tomorrow."

"He's right. Rest. Restore yourself. Raid Piero's wares. Restock your ammo and make yourself ready. Just in case."

"To Corvo! The man who served to change the course of history!"

"To Emily Kaldwin and the new dawn rising for Dunwall and the Empire!"

Corvo drank from his glass as everybody else and then walked toward Emily who was sitting in one of the tables, she was reading a book to Corvo's surprise. He sat next to her, the girl only looked at him for a few seconds and then returned to her book.

"I brought you something Emily," he said smiling and took out Mrs. Pilsen from within his coat.

The girl looked at the doll and then at Corvo, her eyes were as cold as the northern seas of Tyvia. "It's a lovely doll, Lord Protector. Thank you…"

Corvo felt a bit dizzy and drank a bit more from his glass, he had thought she would be excited about the doll. "I thought you said you would pronounce a National holiday if you ever seen your doll again…"

"That was before… If I'm to be an Empress I should stop acting like a child," she said looking at him in a cold and piercing way.

"I see…" he said. "That's why you aren't drawing anymore, because you aren't supposed to be a child anymore?"

The girl stared at him with despite, "There are more important things than drawing and playing I'm to rule an Empire soon enough and you are asking me to play? I think is more productive if I start preparing myself to be Empress rather than drawing."

Corvo looked at the girl that was sitting next to him, and he felt that the Heart was racing, then he got up and made a bow, "As your Grace desire, I will not bother you anymore," and with that he finished drinking the cinder and made his way out. He looked one more time at the girl that was looking at him with cold death eyes and then returned to the book.

As Corvo made his way out he bumped into Callista and asked her if she could meet him outside. Once outside Corvo could easily taste metal in his mouth, he shook his head and leaned against a wall. Callista encountered him.

"It there something you want to talk about Corvo?"

"If something would happen to me, would you, would you look after Emily? Making sure she becomes a fine woman?" he said as he pressed his hand against his face.

"Are you feeling bad Corvo?"

"I'm just a bit dizzy and had a bit of nausea, that's all. I will ask Piero if he have something for that. But would you do that for me? Would you look after… after Emily?" he wondered why he couldn't say her name.

"Yes of course, but I don't think it will come to that, would it? You should rest Corvo."

Corvo nodded and made his way toward his room, he wasn't really feeling that good, he had to stop several times as he made his way through the stairs. It was when he finally reached his room that he fall to the ground. He didn't knew what has happen until he opened his eyes and heard the three Loyalist speaking. Martin was complaining about Samuel and then asking if he was death, then Pendleton said that he better was, since the poison had cost a month of profits. So he had been poison, those bloody bastards. Now he knew why he had taste the flavor of metal, no of blood in his mouth. They continue to talk about what they were planning to do with him. Once the three men left Samuel approach him and bend to his level. Then he apologized and told him he was planning to leave him adrift and that he would be waiting for him to return.

When Corvo opened his eyes again he was surrounded by buildings, he wondered where he was but it didn't pass to much time for him to realize that he was at the Flooded district. Soon enough some assassins appeared before him. Corvo looked at them, they say something about him being poison and that it was an amateur's work. He wondered what would they do to him, the one that was closest to him asked the other man, who answered that Thomas had command that if they found him, that he was to be brought before him. Corvo wondered who this Thomas was as far as he had known, Daud had been the leader of the Whalers, but his head was still spinning to even think straight. When he opened his eyes he wasn't lying in a prison as he had thought, he was in a bed, yet all his things were taken from him. Corvo got up and looked around just to hear two assassins talking, one complaining that they have to wait for him to wake up and then have him taken to Thomas. Corvo made his way out of the room the two assassins looked at him, one jumped back while the other simply looked at him.

"Seems that the poison had worn off, if you want your gear and an explanation of what had happen then you better follow me," said the assassin and began to lead the way.

Corvo followed him and soon they reached an office where another assassin was, he was looking at Corvo's gear. When he looked up and saw the two men. The assassin that had brought Corvo turned around and walked away, then the other man walked toward him and removed his mask, to reveal a face of a man younger than Corvo.

"My name is Thomas and this one," he said pointing to another assassin that had been in the shadows. "Is Rinaldo, my second in command, as I now command the Whalers, but I guess that is something you care little to know about, do you Corvo?"

Corvo looked at both men, but didn't even move, he wasn't sure what they were able to do, after all he had seen them being able to Blink. "Where is Daud?"

"We don't know…" said Thomas.

"Probably death…"added the second man.

Corvo approached the table and grabbed his gear. The two assassins looked at him, he turned and looked at them. "Why did you let me live? It doesn't make any sense, why not kill me or deliver me to the authorities?"

Thomas gave a sigh. "If Daud would had been alive probably we would had take you prisoner, but don't get us wrong we don't have any love toward you, or the ones that are striving for power, but in our current position, we can't do much. With the death of Daud we lost all of our powers." Corvo looked at them.

"How did he 'die'?"

"He was killed by Delilah Cooperspoon, a witch," said Thomas. "We don't know exactly how, we just know that the Outsider had tasked Daud in finding and dealing with this woman, and we found her, but one of ours betrayed us. But that didn't matter, we continue to try to investigate what this woman wanted. We just knew that she had wanted something with the heir to the throne, with Emily Kaldwin," Corvo opened his eyes as he looked at the man. "We were able to locate her base of operations, it was at the Brigmore Manor, outside Dunwall. Daud was planning to deal with this woman so he entered the manor alone, telling us to eliminate the witches that were in the surrounding areas, so we did, he said that we were to wait, and so we did. We waited and three days passed and he never came back. We heard some of the witches saying that their master, Delilah, had been triumphant and that she had manage to go on with the ritual. That was in that moment that we knew that our master was death and we return, we are planning to disappear for some time. But then we found you… I know this sound strange and that probably you don't believe us. Who will believe some assassins, yet I'm here asking you that if you find this woman, Delilah Cooperspoon, put a knife through her. Cut her to pieces, for whatever she is planning to do with that Kaldwin girl it will be doom for all of us," and with that said both men left Corvo in the study.

Then Corvo looked at them and said, "There was a mechanical heart with the rest of my things, where is it?"

Both men looked at each other, "There wasn't such a thing," answered back the man that responds by the name of Rinaldo.

"You should find your way, through a tunnel down in the building, good luck Corvo Attano, and let the Outsider give you his favor," said Thomas and walked away.

Corvo was able to get through most of the Flooded district without much problem, until he faced a closed door that would lead him through the last part of the district that he needed to cross to reach the Hounds Pits. He gave a sigh and quickly made his way, he never thought that he would end up in a fight between Granny Rags and Slackjaw. Both asked for his help yet it wasn't much of an option, one was a crazy witch and the other a thief and murderer, no better than the other. He quickly took the key form the old woman and put her to sleep once he had destroyed her cameo. He did set free this Slackjaw, the man told him that the Loyalist had been telling the whole city about everything that he had done and that the whole city knew of his crimes. Corvo didn't answer back. As he made his way he decided to look around the place of Granny Rags just to find what he had been looking for. An Outsider shrine, there it was. He felt his heart racing as he approached it and took the rune that was lying there. He just wanted to talk to him, to know the truth.

"You find your way into such interesting places, Corvo. At the eye of the storm ragging between Granny Rags and this man who has lived his whole life with a cleaver in one hand and a bottle in the other. Crawling out of those flooded ruins, winding your way back to the pub where you last saw Emily? Where is she now?"

"You tell me that," Corvo interrupted him, the Outsider looked at him.

"You're one of the few that had ever dared to interrupt me, you know that. Daud never dare to say something he simply stared back, hearing my words, treasuring them. Granny Rags was always eager to hear my voice and Delilah, she thought herself my equal."

Corvo stared at his black pitch eyes, he couldn't find his voice, but he wanted to ask the Outsider.

"I see that the gift I present you is lost, just like her, isn't she? I wonder what you will do Corvo. Knowing what had happen to the assassin Daud, for what his assassins told you, but do you really believe them? Do you believe what the Heart told you? Do you really believe that or maybe is that you are indeed going insane for using my powers? I wonder will you let the Empress rise to power and cast a dark age upon the Empire or would you save thousands of lives with the sacrifice of just one? Whatever you are planning to do, you have to remember that great changes are coming. And I will be watching with great interest," he said and disappeared.

Corvo felt the tears rolling down his cheeks and he fell into his knees. He felt his stomach twisting and the air escaping him. So it was truth after all, Emily was lost. What was there for him to continue, that… that girl wasn't his daughter anymore it was something wicked. Could it truly be this woman, Delilah Cooperspoon? And what if she was it, what would it be the difference? There wasn't anything left for him to fight for. He took off his mask and looked at it, the mask of an assassin, an assassin that had thought that could help his daughter rise to the throne and end the plague, but now it was just the mask of an assassin that didn't have anything left. He rose slowly and put on the mask again. He made his way again into the sewer, he crossed the survivals camp and finally arrived at the Hounds Pits.

He found Cecelia inside an abandon apartment. She had told him about the executions and how she was saved by Wallace. Also she told him that she didn't knew if Piero was alive but she had guessed that, Callista must be in the Tower locked. Corvo made his way toward the tower being able to evade detection of the Tallboy and the soldiers that were there. Once he was at the door of the tower he knocked.

"Callista, it's me Corvo. Let me in," he heard himself tired and weary.

Callista opened the door and looked at him, she hugged him and pulled him inside.

"Corvo! I can't believe you are alive! They killed everyone, Corvo! They killed everyone to cover it all up, then they took Emily when they left! I couldn't do anything to protect her. Please find her! Make her safe," she said as she walked around the room, then she sat down on the bed and looked at him. "All this talking about being an honorable military man, but Havelock will use Emily like a puppet, to his own advantage. Something changes in the Admiral as soon as the Lord Regent died. It had been building up. Martin was acting strange, going quiet if any of us were near. Whispering late into the night with Havelock and Pendleton while you were out doing the real work. I think they realized they were one step away from holding the same position the Lord Regent had. And worried they'd be held accountable for what they did here as the 'Loyalist'. They would have killed me, too, but Havelock spare me. Out of respect for my uncle, I believe. Find Emily, she had gone through so much and…" but she remain quite looking at Corvo.

They remain in silence for some time and then he left the room. He found Piero and Sokolov in Piero's workshop, after hearing the request of both men, Corvo made his way toward the room of Havelock and quickly got the blueprints, he delivered them to the scientist and told them that he want to put to sleep all the men. After the Pylon Arc was used all the remaining guards fell unconscious, he started walking toward the tower, he saw a flare and then the door open. Callista walked toward where the three men were standing.

"I send a flare to Samuel he will surely come to pick you up Corvo," Corvo thanked her with a nodded.

He proceeded to walked down the building, in the drinking area he saw a notice. He grabbed it and read it. They had gone to Kingsparrow Island, so there is where he was going. He reached the small bay that was behind the tower and looked at Samuel, he approached him and told him that they will be going to Kingsparrow Island. The man nodded and told Corvo that probably Havelock would be waiting for him so he should prepare himself. Corvo knew that the man was right and that he should restock himself with Piero, the turned to walk again to meet Piero when he saw it.

At the far end of the beach there it was. Corvo ran toward it and knelt beside it. It was the Heart or what was left of it. It had been torn down by some roots that had come out of the ground. Shredding it into hundreds pieces all enable into the plant. He looked and saw what seemed to be a circle draw with blood. He looked around and saw several bodies of plague rats lying around. He pressed both of his hands against the mask. He took it off and stared at it with empty eyes.

"You were right Corvo," he heard Callista from behind. He rose slowly. "She did change, I know that is already too late, but you were right. I guess we didn't want to see it since she was behaving so well. Like a proper lady, and I have to admit that it make my job easier."

Corvo looked at Callista. "What happen here?"

"She went up after Havelock, Martin and Pendleton had returned to the party, right after you were poison or when the poison had finally taken effect. She went upstairs and then went down, she go outside, I thought she was going to play for some time. So I let her, when I thought that it was getting late I went to search for her and I heard rats. I was afraid of what could happen to her and was when I saw it. She was killing the rats and drawing something in the ground with the blood of the death animals. She place in the middle of the drawing what see to be a sort of heart or something like that, she said something that I couldn't make out and then she of sang something and the circle it shine and… those plants came out and they torn down that heart. I heard a woman screaming, it was horrible, she screamed your name, Corvo. I don't know what happen to Emily Corvo, but she isn't the same girl we once knew, I'm sorry."

Corvo looked at the woman and the men that were behind her, Sokolov approach them and looked at the marks on the floor, he looked straight at Corvo.

"If is true that Emily did this, she really known some advance dark magic… Corvo, whatever is going to happen we are counting in you to do the right thing."

Corvo walked away, Piero simply stopped him and gave him a bag that contained several types of munitions and potions. He rode the boat and looked back one more time to the Hounds Pits and looked at the three adults that looked at him with worry faces as he disappear with Samuel.

They traveled in silence all the way to the island, Corvo looked at the sky it was getting darker by the minute. As soon as they arrived Samuel turned and looked at him.

"I would wish you good luck Corvo, but probably what you are about to do, is something that isn't going to end up good or going to be pleasant. But you deserved the luck, I'm sorry for what happen to Emily, if it is really true, then I guess you won't have another option. Still you should watch yourself, probably Martin had siege the tower, Lord Pendleton had hideaway and Havelock most had have Emily somewhere, probably the top of the light house. So Corvo whatever you are planning to do… remember that you once loved that girl and swear to protect her," and with that said he pulled back the boat and left him in the Island.

Corvo watched the man disappeared; he took off his mask and pulled down the hood. He hardly thought he would need to hide his face. He managed to get inside the island without trouble, though he thought it was strange that he had not encounter a single guard. Once in the main patio, he saw it. He couldn't really believe his eyes, the Overseers, all of them, were shred into pieces by plants, similar to what had happen to the Heart. He walked with great care evading the plant, as he didn't knew if it would attack him or not, he managed to get to the tower and started heading up. Just as he was about to reach the main landing he heard it. A soft cry, he climbed the stairs quickly just to find Treavor Pendleton in a corner crouch and crying like a scared little boy.

The man looked at Corvo and began to laugh in hysterical way, he crawled toward Corvo and grabbed his coat, he smiled at him.

"Thanks to the Abbery that you are here, Corvo. It was horrible, that girl… she isn't normal. She is in league with the Outsider, she is a monster! You have to stop her…" he whine.

"What happen Pendleton?" he asked in a cold way.

"We… we… we thought we could achieve what the Lord Regent couldn't. We thought that we could be great and bring peace to this Empire. We thought that we could rule through her, but we were, very, very wrong…" he said looking at Corvo's dark eyes with desperation. "She said that she didn't need us, that she was more than capable of ruling. Then Martin told her that she was just a little child, and that she would need us if she wished to stay alive, Havelock told her that she should do as she was told that it would be the best for all of us, I didn't say anything I felt something was wrong. The way she looked at us. She laughed and then said that she wanted to see Martin dancing alongside his Overseers that she wasn't a little girl and she ran off. We followed her, but as soon as she had entered the tower some plants grabbed the Overseers and started shredding them, it was horrible Corvo! But we kept running after her, and then one of the plants broke through the wall of the tower and grabbed Martin, he screamed… I didn't dare to see what happen to him. I couldn't go any further, I kept seeing my brothers… in my head. Oh, Corvo! They are death, I seen them die hundreds of times! I can't take it any longer, please, please kill me! I beg you!" Corvo pushed away the man that was crying and sobbing, he looked at the lighthouse, he looked at the man and threw him his pistol and kept walking. Before he had reached the elevator he heard a shot, he knew that Pendleton was death, now it was only Havelock and… Emily left.

Corvo reached the top of the lighthouse with ease, he could easily heard the wind roaring, and the distant thunders, he walked toward the upper part of the house, where he heard Havelock and the girl screaming at each other. They were fighting for power, for who would be ruling the Empire. Corvo climbed the stairs and looked at them.

"Corvo save me!" cried out the girl.

"If you give a step forward I will jump and take her!" screamed back Havelock.

Before Corvo knew what he was doing he had already shoot Havelock the man was falling into the void, he heard Emily screaming, he ran toward the end of the catwalk and grabbed her. He looked into her eyes.

"Pull me up!" she command him, he rose her, but he couldn't see anything of Emily in her.

Indeed it was Emily, but just in image, the eyes that were looking back at him weren't those of his daughter, these eyes were cold, full of hatred and arrogance, with desire to rule and be feared, those were the eyes of the witch Delilah Cooperspoon. He pulled the girl toward himself and hugged her. Then he whispered into her ear.

"Please forgive me Emily…" he said with great sorrow in his voice and he pushed her into the void.

The girl tried to grab him but couldn't she began to fall and screamed, but the scream was soon dull by the sounds of the thunders. He hit his fist several times against the floor of metal and kept sobbing and cursing until he didn't heard her anymore. Corvo simply screamed in rage and cursed the Outsider and all that was in that world. He just wished that as his tears were dissolving with the thick drops of rain his life would also disappeared.

Emily was falling, she couldn't understand it? Why? Why? Had he pushed her into the emptiness that lied in between were they where and the dark ocean. WHY?!

"Feeling despair Emily or should I call you by your real name Delilah?" said the Outsider that was just falling right next to her.

Delilah turned and looked at him, she couldn't even said a single word so the Outsider continue.

"You are wondering, aren't you? How could he know? How could he know that I wasn't Emily? For instance Emily Kaldwin was a nice little girl that loved Corvo as much as he loved her, because that's what parents and children do, don't they? They love each other no matter what. But you didn't even smiled ones at him, not even a small sight of affection toward a man that was doting you." The girl looked at him with surprised. "Oh, don't tell me you didn't knew that Emily Kaldwin was daughter of Jessamine Kaldwin and Corvo Attano, and to think you were originally planning to possessed Jessamine, I wonder how could that had turned out? Still Delilah, you were too ambitious, such a shame that in each tomorrow and in each past you always failed. You never stop to think, if you should had let Corvo Attano dealt with the assassin Daud, then you would have had an opportunity, or if you would had waited until the girl was crowned, then no one would had been able to touch you. But you were too greedy and hasty, you were afraid that the Empire would slip through your hands. And because of that is that you never succeed. To think that you weren't beaten by an assassin who also knew a great deal of black magic, or the High Overseer, that you were defeated by a father that knew there was something wrong with his little girl. Yet I had a wonderful time Delilah, and don't worry, there is someone that is waiting for you in the Void, he is really excited that you will soon be there, as he just want to end what he begun. It was a pleasure Delilah while this last, we will meet each again in the Void, I'm sure of that," he said and disappeared.

Delilah simply gritted her teeth and cursed silently the Outsider and let the rocks and sea smashed the delicate body of the ten year old girl she was inhabited.


End file.
